I feel like, rather than review this book, you should just go read it. Or listen to it, like I did, for free on Audible. It’s not terribly long and it’s well narrated. Highly consumable. Because how on earth am I supposed to review a book that is basically one giant, really good quote about getting your shit together and being less of a competitive, materialistic arsehole? At least that was my main take away. It’s just a whole mess of good advice and sensible analogies for one to live one’s life in peace.
Forget posting random quotes from Lord of the Rings incorrectly attributed to Martin Luthor King on instagram, Marcus Aurelius was way ahead of his time. I feel like he would have been featured regularly on Oprah, doling out sage wisdom and looking serene as hell.
At some point, in the midst of reading this book, I was having a whinge to my husband about an irritating neighbour. He stared at me, blankly, as I talked. Eventually I paused my diatribe long enough for him to say: “why do you care why they think?”.
The next day, on my walk to work, the narrator of Meditations calmly informed me: “How much time he saves who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks.”
Later that week, I was being hyperbolic about some work drama, clearly exaggerating, and he called me out on it.
The next day, again, the narrator of Meditations intoned: “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”
Then I was talking about how I wanted to rip out and put in a new, prettier wardrobe, which my husband couldn’t see the point in doing. Why wasn’t I content with the functional and well-made wardrobe we already have?
Again, it happened: “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”
And so, it was through reading Meditations that I realised my husband is, in fact, a stoic Roman philosopher/emperor and I should probably listen to him more often. And no, he has never read this book.
Not only do I have this book to thank for a great deal of wisdom and excellent quotes to post on my insta, I now also believe in reincarnation… Maybe I need to update my username to “Aurelius’ Wife?”
5 sage words of advice out of 5.
PS I’m joking about the instagram quotes thing… my instagram is purely corgis, as the lord intended.
